Associate Director, LAUNCH
Job Description
The Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation (OVPRI) at Virginia Tech is seeking an Associate Director, LAUNCH to join our LINK | LICENSE | LAUNCH team. The team, within the Division of Innovation & Partnerships, is taking a holistic and integrated approach to commercialization technology from “discovery to market” to ensure strategic partnerships and innovation management deliver impacts and growth for the university, region, state, and beyond. This position is key to the ambitious plans Virginia Tech is making to be a leading 21st century land grant university that delivers innovative solutions to the most pressing global challenges of our time. Successful candidates will work closely with stakeholders across the university to facilitate the commercialization of technologies with a focus on start-ups, new venture development, and licensing to small enterprises to drive economic growth and opportunity for the region, Commonwealth, and beyond. In this role, the Associate Director of LAUNCH will work closely with colleagues within LINK and LICENSE to identify, assess, shape, and spin out new enterprises, working closely with key entrepreneurial faculty, staff, graduate students, and post-docs. This individual will support start-up formation through a full continuum of activities, including oversight of grant programs, hosting networking events, expert engagement, business planning, technology and market assessments, sourcing of invention disclosures, engagement with external investors and entrepreneurs, and deal structuring. The Associate Director will work closely with others in OVPRI and other key centers and programs at Virginia Tech, including APEX, Office of Sponsored Research, Division of Scholarly Integrity and Research Compliance, Colleges and research institutes, while actively engaging external stakeholders, partners, and innovation ecosystem partners to build connections, networks, and resources to support start-up creation. Reporting to the Associate Vice President of Innovation and Partnerships, a successful candidate will: - Engage with a broad network of internal and external stakeholders, including faculty, staff, students, investors, entrepreneurs, executives, community/state leaders, and others to support start-up formation and spin-outs in areas of innovation within Virginia Tech and across multi-university initiatives led by Virginia Tech. - Collaborate with LINK and LICENSE team, complementary offices, faculty & staff, interns and students, external advisors, partners, and others to evaluate opportunities, inform appropriate commercialization paths, and in some cases, pursue start-up formation in parallel with other commercialization activities. - Facilitate strategies for capture and protection of portfolios of intellectual properties from multiple sources, within Virginia Tech and across Virginia Tech led multi-university initiatives in support of robust venture backed start-ups - Assist start-ups to raise capital and create funding opportunities for faculty, staff, and students, e.g., SBIR resources, grant programs, local mentoring opportunities, etc. - Through a range of programs (e.g., classes and informational sessions on issues relevant to startup companies) and hands on support, help develop commercialization skillsets among faculty, post-doctoral, and graduate student inventors. - Develop University new policies (in collaboration with COI and other OVPRI stakeholders) to guide faculty entrepreneurs. - Cultivate portfolio of invention disclosures from multiple sources to expand Virginia Tech’s startup and licensing pipeline. - Assist start-ups raise capital and create funding opportunities for faculty, staff, and students, .g., SBIR resources, grant programs, as well as seed and early round venture financing. - Leverage local mentoring opportunities, and regional and Commonwealth resources to help identify and augment startup management teams. - Assist with early business development, potential customer interactions, and business/development partners. - Oversee a proof of concept grant program and administer POC budget. - Start-up and lead an Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) program that optimizes deployment of current EIRs and recruits new EIRs. - Support analysis and concept development and business planning to market startup companies and technologies to prospective investors; serve as a liaison with potential investors. - Source new venture investments including meeting with founders and entrepreneurs, attending relevant conferences and networking events, and calling on new prospects. - Conduct detailed industry, business, and financial due diligence on prospective investments; prepare in-depth financial and data analysis for potential investments, including customer and management references, market sizing and mapping, and industry research. - Support development of pitch materials, grants, and other communication materials. - Develop financial models relating to financing, restructurings, valuation analyses and liquidity, and perform careful evaluation of ROI opportunities. - Work with University leadership to clearly define and communicate conflict of interest (COI) procedures, thereby lowering the barriers for faculty/student start-ups. |
Required Qualifications
- Master’s or Bachelor's degree (science or engineering) and demonstrated progressively responsible professional experience focused on commercialization of early innovative technologies within a university environment or start-up, and/or appropriate industry or discipline. - Experience/knowledge in key functional areas, such as company formation, licensing, commercialization, and deal structuring. - Progressive leadership experience in either a university technology transfer office, in a start-up, or within industry leadership positions responsible for new ventures. - Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including public speaking, presentation and pitches. - Strong organizational skills and an ability to handle multiple and complex tasks and projects concurrently. - Demonstrated energetic and visionary leader with commitment to teamwork. Willingness to travel on a frequent basis. |
Preferred Qualifications
- Proven industry, investment, and/or small enterprise experience. - Connections and experience working with venture capitalists and/or angel investors across industries. - Demonstrated networking skills, including negotiating strategic, business-to-business agreements and assisting companies with finding additional financing. - Early stage fund development and management experience. - Previous business development/strategy experience in creating and implementing progressively complex strategies using data analytics, technical/domain knowledge and information, and competitive/market intelligence to guide decision making |
Salary Information
Commensurate with Experience
Review Date
October 28, 2019
Additional Information
The successful Candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check
About Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech is a public land-grant university, committed to teaching and learning, research, and outreach to the Commonwealth of Virginia, the nation, and the world. Building on its motto of Ut Prosim (that I may serve), Virginia Tech is dedicated to InclusiveVT—serving in the spirit of community, diversity, and excellence. We seek candidates who adopt and practice the Principles of Community, which are fundamental to our on-going efforts to increase access and inclusion, and to create a community that nurtures learning and growth for all of its members. Virginia Tech actively seeks a broad spectrum of candidates to join our community in preparing leaders for the world.
Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants on the basis of age, color, disability, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status, or otherwise discriminate against employees or applicants who inquire about, discuss, or disclose their compensation or the compensation of other employees or applicants, or on any other basis protected by law.
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